Abstract
Environmental sustainability of post mined limestone quarries often requires reclamation to a diverse woody plant community. Woody species diversity may be severely limited if only nursery stock is relied on for propagation material; thus other sources must be evaluated. To address woody species establishment and survival from different propagule sources at a limestone quarry in western Canada, native trees (4) and shrubs (3) were seeded and transplanted into amended substrates (wood shavings, clean fill, unamended control) in two seasons (spring, fall). Plant sources were nursery stock, local forest wildlings, seeds and forest soil (LFH mineral soil mix). Plant emergence, survival, height, health and browsing were evaluated over four years. Survival was greater with fall transplanted seedlings than with spring transplanted. Survival was greater for Picea glauca, Pseudotsuga menziesii and Populus tremuloides from nursery than local source stock. Seedlings from seeds and LFH did not survive for any of the species. Growth and survival were affected by bighorn sheep. Amendments did not improve plant establishment. Diversity of the woody plant community was increased at the quarry in spite of the severe conditions.
Highlights
Quarries are often located in ecologically sensitive areas where their large disturbances contribute to habitat fragmentation and loss of interior forest species’ habitat and diversity from edge effects [1,2].These disturbances result from removing vegetation and soil, drilling and blasting to reach the mineral ore
Three established seedlings were fall seeded and emerged after winter, likely due to cold stratification as it is known that seeds from many woody species including Pseudotsuga menziesii, Betula papyrifera and Picea glauca benefit from cold stratification to germinate [24]
Populus tremuloides will likely appear naturally during ecological succession, human introduction will facilitate its arrival since there are few seed sources in the mature surrounding vegetation
Summary
Quarries are often located in ecologically sensitive areas where their large disturbances contribute to habitat fragmentation and loss of interior forest species’ habitat and diversity from edge effects [1,2]. Limestone waste rock and overburden have been used successfully to construct anthroposols where vegetation can establish and has potential to address absent or limited top soil availability at limestone quarries [13] These anthroposols were developed at the Exshaw quarry in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, increasing establishment of grasses and forbs [14]. This research was designed to assess limestone quarry reclamation potential of select species of native trees and shrubs; to determine whether plant material source (nursery, local transplants from quarry locations, local LFH mineral soil mix, seeds), planting and seeding season and soil amendments (fertilized clean fill, wood shavings) would affect woody species survival towards successful establishment of a diverse woody plant community
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